End the travel 'Wild West': Serial fare dodgers must face jail, not fare hikes for everyone else

Some might say this is overkill, but serial fare evasion isn’t harmless – it’s theft, it’s wrong, and it’s costing the average Londoner 6% more in their own travel fares from next year.

For too long, law-abiding commuters have watched others barge through gates with impunity, confident nothing will happen, or that they will ever be challenged.

That era of tolerance – the “Wild West” of the Tube must end.

Three months ago, I launched a new report at City Hall Conservatives, which lays bare the scale of the problem. Fare evasion occurs on nearly 4% of TfL’s journeys every year – that’s 1 in every 25 journeys each year going unpaid, costing more than £190 million.

To claw this back, the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan is now insisting decent, law-abiding commuters pick up the tab and pay nearly 6% more in their own fares next year.

Brohiri’s 112 unpaid trips are extreme but not unique. TfL currently lacks trained staff to confront fare evaders effectively.

This is a textbook case of the broken windows theory: leave minor crimes unchecked, and they snowball. Every unchallenged jumper sets a precedent, normalising dishonesty and encouraging others to test the system.

Ignoring fare evasion sends a message to society that rules are optional.

My report points to international best practices. Cities like New York, Paris, and Tokyo have slashed fare evasion with higher barriers, dedicated enforcement staff, and transparent taskforces.

London could do the same: install new, low-floor contact barriers at every Underground and DLR entrance, create specific security trained roles to approach fare dodgers, and establish a transparent Fare Evasion Taskforce that sees the Mayor, Met and TfL working together to monitor and reduce the problem.

These measures aren’t radical- they work.

TfL aims to cut fare evasion from 3.4% to 1.5% by 2030. On current trends, that target is wishful thinking.

Every Londoner has watched someone push through barriers or jump over them to avoid paying the fare, knowing they will pick up the cost in eye-watering fare rises.

It’s just not good enough. The Mayor can’t bury his head in the sand - the solutions are right there in black and white.

Fare-dodging is no Robin Hood act. It doesn’t punish the rich or help the poor.

It taxes every law-abiding commuter, inflates fares, crowds carriages, and diverts funds from maintenance and safety. Left unpunished, it erodes trust and invites more wrongdoing.

Some argue for leniency, they say “People make mistakes.” But there’s a world of difference between a petty theft and organised, deliberate, repeated theft.

Brohiri’s 112 unpaid journeys were intentional and persistent, they relate to journeys between London and Brighton, and on the Thameslink lines into Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

Without consequences, a culture of lawlessness takes hold, making evasion seem acceptable.

Brohiri’s case and my findings should serve as a wake-up call and this case sets a good precedent for that.

London cannot afford a system where persistent fare evasion is shrugged off. By acting decisively - installing proper barriers, equipping staff, and creating a dedicated taskforce - London can reward honesty, punish theft, and restore order.

It’s time to end the Tube’s “Wild West” era. Persistent fare evasion must meet the full force of the law. Fairness isn’t optional, and neither should accountability be.

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Thomas Turrell AM is the Transport Spokesman at City Hall Conservatives

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